Chapter 145: Chapter 135: Zheng Shaolian Saves People

In mid-August, Xiao Zhao called the village office for Lin Liuping. He said that starting this month, the military was intensifying its training, and no one was allowed to leave the barracks, not even on Sundays. So, he wouldn’t be able to visit. He added that Zheng Shaolian had been hospitalized after saving a comrade during a field exercise and asked if Xiao Man could make a trip to Wancheng on Sunday.

When Lin Liuping relayed the message, Xiao Man’s eyes went wide. ’Zheng Shaolian? Saved someone? And got injured doing it? I can’t even imagine it!’

Grandpa and Grandma, however, were very worried. Despite all his faults, Zheng Shaolian was great at charming the elderly. He had also told them he was an orphan, which made their hearts ache for him. Grandma, especially, immediately bustled off to the storeroom to take stock of their sealed jars of sesame paste, bean paste, and various pickles. Then she grabbed a basket to pick tomatoes and told Grandpa to find Man Cang and buy extra dried fish and shrimp... All things Shaolian loved to eat!

Xiao Man was speechless. ’What Shaolian loves are the things from my space. If I just give him this ordinary stuff, he’ll definitely throw it out!’

Grandpa decided to go with Xiao Man so he could sell some herbs along the way. Xiao Man’s face fell. ’Another all-night oxcart ride? No, thank you!’

But to her surprise, Grandpa had Mo Chengfu go to the village office to arrange for a tractor. This made Xiao Man even more miserable. ’Ride that tractor? Bouncing all the way to Wancheng in a cloud of dust with all that RACKET? My butt would be bruised for a week, and I’d be so caked in dirt no one would even recognize me. I’d rather take the oxcart!’

In the end, they decided to take the oxcart after all. Besides, Xiao Man was on break, so pulling one all-nighter wouldn’t hurt.

This time, there were quite a lot of herbs. In addition, there were vegetables, fruits, pickles, and sauces for Zheng Shaolian, Xiao Zhao, and the rest of their unit. And of course, there were the pears from the tree in the courtyard, which Zheng Shaolian had been nagging her about for ages. It all filled two oxcarts, so Mo Chengfu came along to help.

They had Lin Liuping call Xiao Zhao from the village office and tell him to meet them at the main intersection leading into Wancheng.

You had to admit, Xiao Zhao was one sharp soldier. Not only had he scouted out Gongdao Village’s prettiest girl, but he’d also figured out he could call the village office and talk to her without even being there. It was a move Xiao Man herself hadn’t even thought of.

As before, they traveled through the night. The two oxcarts ambled along, and it wasn’t until well after sunrise that they finally reached Wancheng.

Xiao Zhao and a few of his army buddies were already waiting by the side of the road with two vehicles. The moment they spotted the oxcarts, they rushed over and crowded around Xiao Man curiously. One of them even poked her pigtails as they all started talking at once:

"So this is our little sis?"

"She’s so cute! And so pretty!"

"Hey, little sis, how old are you? What’s your name?"

"Little sis, I’ll take you to buy some candy."

Xiao Man: "..."

Xiao Zhao shooed them away. "Go on, get out of here! Cut the chatter. Can’t you see she’s exhausted from the trip?"

He handed Xiao Man a military-issue canteen. "Here, have some water. It’s clean."

Someone else offered water to Grandpa and Mo Chengfu.

When they learned Grandpa had brought an entire oxcart full of food, the men were both overjoyed and grateful. They quickly delegated tasks: some would take the supplies back to the barracks, while others would accompany Grandpa and Mo Chengfu to the herb purchasing station. Xiao Zhao would first take Xiao Man to Wancheng Hospital to see Zheng Shaolian, and they would all meet up for lunch once Grandpa and Mo Chengfu were done.

The moment Zheng Shaolian saw Xiao Man, his eyes actually grew red around the rims. He grabbed her hand, his expression a complex mix of emotions. Xiao Man felt that if she were just a few years older, the guy probably would have burst into tears.

Xiao Zhao snickered from the side. Zheng Shaolian shot him a glare. "Get lost!"

Xiao Zhao just waved a hand and walked out, still smiling.

Xiao Man pulled several large, red tomatoes from her satchel, along with two crisp cucumbers, a bag of fish jerky, and a bag of dried fruit—all of them were products from her space that Zheng Shaolian loved. Finally, she took out a large, vibrant, beautiful peach. Zheng Shaolian’s eyes lit up. "A honey peach?"

Xiao Man dangled the peach. "Is that what this is called? I wouldn’t know. Someone gave me two. I heard you were commended for your good deed, risking your life to save someone, so I saved one for you."

"Screw the ’good deed.’ The guy was dangling off a cliff, and there was no one else coming up behind me. I had to save him!"

"You mean you waited for him to beg you before you did anything?"

"Yup. He had to call out to me three times before I went," Zheng Shaolian said, lifting his chin with a look of arrogant cool.

Xiao Man was utterly exasperated with him. "Zheng Shaolian, could you please try... being a little more humble? Look at what a hero you are now. Can’t you at least try to match that image?"

"Tch! If I had actually died a glorious fucking death, who would be around to see that ’good image’? It’s a good thing I listened to my older cousin and trained with the unit every day so I could come find you. I actually built up some stamina. Otherwise, forget saving those two brats, I would’ve gotten dizzy just standing on the edge of that cliff! The valley below is nothing but jagged rocks. A fall would’ve been certain death! I almost went over the edge myself, you know that?"

"What were you guys doing out there?"

"A forced march. The route goes right along the cliff’s edge."

Xiao Man handed him the peach. "Whatever you say, you still acted heroically. This is your reward!"

Zheng Shaolian grinned and snatched the peach. He took a huge bite, and his mouth instantly flooded with sweet juice, the fragrance filling the air. He closed his eyes, gulping it down before his eyes flew open again to ask Xiao Man, "Where did you get this? I’ve never had a honey peach this good! Are there any more?"

"I told you, someone I met on the road gave them to me. There were only two, and now they’re gone."

"Why would a stranger give you such an amazing peach?"

"What’s so strange about it? I’m a good person. I gave her a ride on our oxcart for a while, so she gave them to me. She even invited me to her house for something to eat and drink, but I was in a hurry, so I just thanked her."

Xiao Man wasn’t exactly lying. An older woman with a basket had indeed hitched a ride on their oxcart. But when she got off, she’d given Xiao Man a few rose apples from her basket—tiny little things, with the unfortunate nickname "chicken-poop fruit."

Zheng Shaolian devoured the peach in a few huge bites. He didn’t even discard the pit, instead popping it in his mouth to suck on. "What a shame," he said regretfully. "There was only one. I’m not even close to being satisfied!"

Xiao Man picked up a cucumber from the table and offered it to him. "Have this."

Zheng Shaolian shot it a sidelong glance. "After a peach like that, who’d want to eat a cucumber?"

Xiao Man pretended to take it back. "Fine, I’ll just take it with me, then."

"Who taught you that? You can’t take back a gift! Just leave it there, I’ll eat it later!"

He picked up the bag of fish jerky, took out a piece, and began to chew on it. "This is so good, too," he said, his eyes closed in bliss. "I haven’t had this in forever... Quick, hide it in the drawer for me! The dried fruit, too! Don’t let Xiao Zhao see it, or he’ll steal it from me!"

Xiao Man: ’...’ ’What a glutton.’

"Grandpa and Grandma prepared some things for your comrades. They’ve already been sent to the barracks. There’s some dried fish in there, and pears, too! From the tree in our yard!"

"What? Why didn’t you bring me any pears? And the dried fish—they’ll eat it all!"

"What are you yelling about? You think this stuff you’re eating isn’t the special reserve batch? Besides, the pears are heavy; I didn’t have the strength to carry them here. There are still some left for you at the top of the tree. You can go pick them yourself when you’re better!"

Zheng Shaolian looked at the thick piece of fish jerky in his hand and felt a bit more placated. He nodded. "Fine, I’ll pick them myself! Where’s Grandpa? My cousin is coming from the provincial city in a little while. They should meet."

"Which cousin? Gu Shaojun?" Xiao Man’s eyes widened.

"Yeah, Gu Shaojun. He said he was coming."

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